xxBlossom Beautiful
by Vital.latiV
Summary: Beginning in Rukongai, Yumichika loses the beauty of life. In the City of Wandering Souls, he finds hope in the girl who shows him true magnificence. YumixOC
1. Chapter 1



Summary – 

What is it like to lose the beauty in life? Yumichika Ayasegawa knows the meaning of beauty, as we know, but he hardly knew it as a beginning soul in Rukongai. Awakening in a different world – a _dead_ world – has more magnificence than he knows when he meets a strange little girl.

Warnings – 

Some sadness, some happiness, all adds up to some sappiness, and First POV.

A/N – 

Well, here's another story from little ol' me. I believe this should be a really sweet little story; it incites more of Yumichika's view, than our OC, and shows (my opinion) of what caused him to be so narcissistic. Plus, you just have to love an innocent little kid's view on things. :3



There was a soft muttering; a voice. It was close, and seemed to be the same tone. Whomever this voice belonged to, they were talking to them self. The words were a bit hard to depict, but in accordance to its slightly high-pitched tone, I was able to convey it to be feminine.

"Yare yare1…" The voice grumbled to itself. Judging by his gruff tone, it seemed to be aggravated. There was a slight crackling sound. Something warm licked at my legs; a fire. There was a sudden distraction; a new sensation in the air – an aroma of some sort. It was sweet, yet a burnt bitterness clung to it. Instinctively, I felt my mouth water. The organ that was my stomach sensed the food that was nearby. The hollow emptiness churned the very dust that it collected. I needed to let whoever this person nearby know that I was here. Just to let them know that I was there.

"Ungh…" I had to question myself what just escaped my mouth. Words were difficult to form. I stayed where I was, straining to listen for any changes. I didn't want to open my eyes just yet. I wanted to gather as much information of what was around me. There was no change; the voice simply continued to mutter to itself. There was another soft crackling in the air and the scent grew. I felt my stomach about to crawl from my throat to leap at the food. I did what I could and lightly gasped. This finally caught the person's attention.

"You awake now?" asked the soft course voice. It was suddenly difficult to portray this person to be feminine. The tone was now a bit lower and deep.

This person was expecting a response. According to my closed eyelids, the tint of red that signified sunlight vanished; the person was in front of me. I didn't want to open my eyes just yet. I slowly formed the words in my mind.

"Where am I?" My mouth was dry and tasted of dirt. A small sound echoed in the air. A chuckle.

"I knew it!" Now the voice was high pitched. The tone was of success. "I knew it. That's why I didn't give up on you just yet." The response hardly answered my question. I tried my best to keep my mind off the riddle they exclaimed.

"Where am I?" I repeated myself, trying to cleanse the taste of dirt in my mouth.

"Somewhere where nobody wants to be, believe me." The voice finally registered my question, and held a solemn quality. But there was a hint of lightness somewhere along the sad line. Hope, I figured.

Curiosity picked my mind. I wanted to see what this person was talking about; this place of no desire. What made it so unsuitable? I slowly began to pull back my eyelids, but light immediately shone down. I closed my eyes once more. So painful, and my eyes itched unpleasantly. Whether I liked it or not, my eyes yearned to see the bright world once more. To see it, and its beautiful colors.

Ever more slowly, I widened my eyes and the first I was able to see was a thin looking girl. (At least my deduction was right, I hoped.) She seemed to be about my age, 11, if not, maybe younger. The clothes on her back were raggedy, and stained with dirt. The fabric was thin, from what it looked, and the sleeves were clearly uneven. One sleeve was ripped, while the other stayed intact (though the holes on the sleeve proved otherwise). Her skin was tinted with patches of brown from dirt. Her appearance was less distracting than her face. She was smiling broadly, with closed eyes. Her cheeks were a portrait of healing bruises and cuts. Whoever she was, she seemed to be the type that was prone to many fights, judging by her rough character. Her hair was surprisingly long as it touched the dirt floor as she sat; it was coal black.

"Like what you see or something?" She was staring down at me with an eyebrow higher than the other. This new look was of questioning, I knew. I blinked once as I realized something; the most fascinating feature of this girl seemed to be her eyes. Now that she wasn't smiling from ear-to-ear I was able to see that this girl had an abnormal set of eyes; scarlet.

"Ah, sorry," I muttered, registering the girl's comment. She only laughed at my apology, and turned her back to me. I wasn't able to comprehend whether her laughter was forgiving or not. But I wasn't able to think more on that as I did my best to move. My head felt like a brick weight and there was something heavy in the atmosphere. It felt like being in a dense fog.

"I don't think you should try moving just yet… There's a lot of energy walking around in the morning, so the pressure might get to you at first. I know it did to me." Another chuckle escaped her lips. I wondered what she meant about 'energy' and how she knew that I tried to get up.

"Who are you?" The words were beginning to be easier to form, now that I was more conscious.

"The name's Minikuiko2. But just call me Niku3. Boyish, ne?" The girl explained with a laugh. To me, both names were preposterous. _Ugly child_? _Flesh_? She had some really strange names. "What's yours?"

"Yumichika Ayasegawa…" There was a small high pitched whistle after I answered her.

"That's sure a mouthful," she laughed once more. It was calming to hear such happy sound.

It was time for another attempt at sitting up. Inhaling slowly, I lifted the upper half of my body and used my elbows to help prop me up. My mind swirled through the massive headache I was receiving. It felt as though someone was pushing their hand down my head, and succeeding nonetheless.

"I told you not to move, didn't I?" Her arm went around my back helping me up. It assisted only slightly, as I was able to stabilize myself and sit in a firm position. I muttered my thanks before watching her return to her business through the corners of my eyes. From what I noticed, she was cooking something. I averted my gaze ahead of me and blinked as I noticed a few people going different ways. I confirmed we were in an alley, judging by the walls that surrounded us from left to right. The people looked rather fierce with their begrudging expressions. A few of them carried around sheaths by their hips, or on their backs. I figured it was the people that walked around that made the place undesirable.

I strained my hardest trying to figure out why I didn't remember passing out. Surely from what I remember, was that I was sleeping at home, or something along the lines of that. So how did I end up in such a rugged place?

"Here." My nostrils filtered the smell of something sweet, and I fluttered my eyes as I noticed a piece of something steaming in front of my face; a potato – hot and fresh. My mouth watered, craving to taste its starchy flavor. That was another thing; why was I so incredibly hungry? My arms wearily tried to reach out for the food, but it loss to whatever pressure was around. "What? You ain't hungry?"

"No!" The sudden exclamation escaped my lips. I didn't want the delicacy to go away, not when my stomach was jabbing me from the inside to snatch it. "I just…can't move my arms." Defeat was clear across my tone, as I tried not to whimper. Moisture was gathering in my eyes, when I saw Niku pulling the steaming potato away. She tore a piece of it off with her dirt stained fingertips, and blew on the small chunk. The steam slowly danced away. She pressed the small ration on my lips, and I felt its sudden warmth. I savored the softness in my mouth and only moaned when I tasted its sweetness. A delicious sweet potato.

"Want more?"

I meekly nodded before watching another piece nearing my mouth. This time I didn't wait for it to touch my lips, and nearly snatched the portion with her fingers still holding it. Luckily she retracted her hand before it became a part of my small meal.

"Sheesh! You could've told me that you wanted to eat my fingers too, y'know?" I ignored her sarcastic comment as I slowly chewed on the mushy starch. I felt as it hit the pits of my stomach and sighed contently. I wanted more, but I wanted to keep the sweet taste cleanse the dirt in my mouth for a little while longer. I lifted my eyes and watched as she stared at me. A corner of her thin lips curved upward into a small smile. "You're weird…" She commented lightly, wearing a familiar grin. She took a bite of the potato, not bothering to take pleasure in it, as I had done. "Judging by the way you're starving could mean you have it." I heard her mutter, not quite sure whether the comment was directed to me or herself nor of what she was talking about. I saw her glance towards me and watched her smile grow. "Or so I hope."

I wonder what she meant by that…



After filling myself with our shared 5th potato, my stomach was truly stuffed. I placed my hand over my abdominal area as I cocked my head back with satisfaction. That was when I realized my ability to move my hands. I waved both of them in front of me, and side to side, simply to make sure. My confirmation was highly grateful as I stared at my hands, gripping them slowly. A laugh echoed softly, and I figured Niku noticed my small test run.

"Glad you can move again." She noted, still trying to stifle her laughter. I nodded in agreement before watching her reveal a bag made of a thick itchy-looking fabric – hemp, I suggested to myself. She packed the remaining cooked potatoes in the sack and placed it to the side. She took one look to the fire near her, and scooped a handful of dirt into her hands. She scattered it on the fire that soon gave away. She turned to face me with her back leaned against the close wall. "By now, I bet you wanna know where you are, huh?" She asked, as the flash of her previous humor vanished within a second in those scarlet eyes.

It had slipped my mind, before she brought it up. In truth, I had many questions to ask her, but it was best to start with only one at a time. She took my silence as an answer and went on.

"Right now, we're in the 80th district of Rukongai. We're going to the 79th really soon."

"Rukongai?"

"_The City of Wandering Souls_." Her lips curled upward into a smile, but her eyes held a much more sullen expression. The name itself confused me. And to be told that we were moving districts so soon, when I was just beginning to learn of our location. I hardly remembered the name Rukongai on any map as well. My brows furrowed as I tried my hardest to comprehend it all. She probably noticed my expression as I heard her sigh.

"Tell me Yumichika…" She started. I looked up, wondering what caused her to pause. Her head was tilted back, and her eyes were closed in a tight wince. "How did you die?"

The words took me by surprise. I blinked twice replaying her sentence in my mind.

"Die? What do you mean?" I asked, a sudden hesitance made my words slowly come out.

"You thick-headed fool. How did you _die_?" She repeated herself with a more aggravated tone. Her eyes flashed open, and I could swear I saw the dead fire rekindle in them. I visibly flinched from her voice, and stared at the ground.

What was she talking about? If I died, then how was I still alive? How was I still breathing? A previous quote from her replayed in my head as I felt my limp hands twitch on my thighs: '_Somewhere where nobody wants to be, believe me._' My lips trembled as I felt the food in my stomach bounce off the walls of my esophagus. I felt sick; I wanted to throw up. A shaking hand went straight to my mouth as I tried to fight the unstable ingestion.

A hand was pressed against my back, and I flinched. The movement made me lose control of my body within a second, and I immediately vomited. I coughed, as the disgusting stomach acid lingered in my mouth. My head felt light from the sickening process. Niku's hand still remained on my back, patting it occasionally in comfort.

"If it makes you feel any better, I don't remember either," I heard her say in a small whisper. I didn't know what to make of it. Whether to relax me or not, I hardly wanted to believe that I was… _dead_. And if I was, how did I die? Was I murdered? Choked? Stabbed? How?

My body shuddered away from the vomit that mocked me on the ground, and I fell back onto my rear. I felt my back press against something; it was warm, soft – Niku. Her body was only a bit smaller than my own, but her arms were able to make their way around my chest. "I'm sorry Yumi-chan…" The small voice breathed against my ear as an unknown moisture escaped my eyes. The tears trailed down my cheeks and I felt new moisture against my hair. Niku's arms tightened around me, and shook slightly. Was it this small girl's tears against my hair? Or was it the oncoming rain that mocked my very discovery? Whatever the answer, I was unable to contain my sobs.

The phrase: '_Yare yare_'in Japanese is like saying 'Oh boy!'; in Niku's case, her exclamatory is used for agitation.

Minikuiko: '_Minikui_' means 'ugly' in Japanese, and when using –_ko _(meaning child), it means 'ugly child' like Yumichika interpreted.

Niku: flesh; meat – However, Niku is suggesting that it is boyish in the terms of katakana; 'Niku' is similar to the Japanese way of saying 'Nick'.

- I may be a bit rusty from my Japanese, so some of these notes may not be true; I suggest not using my Japanese in a case of learning. ^^;;


	2. Chapter 2

Summary – 

What is it like to lose the beauty in life? Yumichika Ayasegawa knows the meaning of beauty, as we know, but he hardly knew it as a beginning soul in Rukongai. Awakening in a different world – a _dead_ world – has more magnificence than he knows when he meets a strange little girl.

Warnings – 

Some sadness, some sappiness, and First POV.

A/N – 

I realize the superscript thing didn't go so well for the first chapter, so very sorry for the confusion! No more superscripts anymore. Enjoy chapter 2!

Light had faded from this sudden dreary world. The rain continued to pour, and the many questions and theories did not cease to stop whirling around my head. I couldn't quite remember what happened next after Niku held me. It was possible that I slept from crying. That was something I did remember doing, before I… died.

I lifted my heavy head from its bowed stance, and noticed the dark gray atmosphere around. I looked around my location and noticed I was sitting on some sort of slab of aging cement. Looking up, there was a weak roof of thick straw. It wasn't much of a shelter as I felt a drop of water fall on my nose. There were no people around to walk outside and I figured it was either because of it being nighttime or the rain. My gaze traveled around, in search for Niku, in what seemed to be an abandoned hut. She was the only one I could trust, no matter how short of a time we had just gotten to know each other. We could hardly call it knowing each other, for that matter. But nonetheless, I knew I needed her to survive this afterlife.

"Niku?" I called out in the darkness. I heard a rustling of footsteps and a loud thump of something falling. The sound didn't so much as make me flinch, but the sudden coldness covering my mouth made me want to shriek. Judging by the small size, finger-like structures and softness, it was a hand. Followed after was a soft _shh _and I slowly nodded my head. I could tell this was Niku.

"You okay, Yumi-chan?" I heard her whisper through the pouring rain. I ignored the little nickname she seemed to grow attach to.

"I felt worse…I think." I struggled to keep the tension light. I heard her small laugh, and exhaled softly. I remembered her crying for me and felt a sudden pang of guilt hit my stomach. I already emptied the contents of my stomach after the last time, what more was there to heave up now? I shook my head slowly breathing, to calm the chance of another replay. "Where are we?"

"Still in the 80th district. I managed to find us an abandoned house. I can see why it's abandoned." I heard her mutter. There was a sound of something shifting in the room, and I felt her distant from me. After a while of rustling amongst what seemed to be boxes, I sensed her return. Something wrapped around me and I felt a warmth press against me. A thick fabric was around me and thin strands brushed against my shoulder; hair. I felt myself flush, but figured not to make any comment. The night was cold, and we needed to stay warm.

"Why do we have to be quiet?"

"Because, I like the sound of rain," she whispered, her breath tickling my skin. My dreary eyes gazed outside. The atmosphere was light, and there wasn't any pressure. "Without the crowds of people, there isn't any tension in the air."

Tension… Is that what she called it? I hardly felt any tension. It felt more like a physical form of latent stress.

The sound of soft metal clanging against the raindrops echoed in the dark room. The occasional drops of water fell against our heads. My hair was dripping wet as it was already. It going a little below my shoulders, strands clung to the back of my neck.

There was a new sound in the air. Soft breathing. I looked down, my eyes adjusting themselves to the darkness. I noticed a pair of closed eyes amongst an illuminating face. Long thick pieces of hair scattered over her left eye, her wet forehead glistened as water continued to fall on her face. How could anyone like her have died so young?

I smiled when I saw her thin lips move, no sound escaping them. I shifted the blanket that was around us, tugging at the heavy cover. She mumbled something incoherent, but didn't seem to wake. I slowly placed the thick sheet over our heads, leaving a small opening to view the outside world.

I hardly remembered feeling anything as peaceful as this. Maybe there was some hope in this spirit world…

The sound of a voice woke me to my senses.  
"You stupid jerks!" I recognized this gruff high-pitch voice to be Niku. Its urgency made me sat up as quick as I could. The atmosphere returned to its dense state, but I was surprised to be able to move. I looked around, trying to find the source of her yelling, and noticed a group of older boys around her. Their mocking grins stared at her, as she clenched and unclenched her hands. "Give it back!"

I calculated the setting, noticing the familiar brown itchy-looking bag in the hands of one of the guys. She was glaring at all of them, but the one in possession was the one who caught her glare the most. He threw the bag over her head. Her attempt at catching it failed, and she was only able to brush her fingertips against it, before it fell into the hands of another. Their laughs erupted as they continued with the process. Finally, she had enough.

I watched amazed as I saw her feet shift, and her elbow was suddenly pressed against the gut of one of the guys. He went into an immediate coughing fit as he exited the circle. The others took quick action, grabbing her by her long hair which now went to the small of her back since she was standing. Her yelp got me to my feet. I wasn't going to standby and watch this further happening. I looked around hastily, trying to look for a blunt object. I failed at doing so, and judging by the tousled over boxes and mess, I figured she had attempted of looking for one as well.

I ended my search abruptly when I heard a loud cry of pain, a loud fall, gasping –

"Niku!" I shouted, my legs instinctively moving towards the new light outside. I pushed myself through the group of far bigger teenagers. I wondered if I proved it to be possible to simply get a bruise on my arms by pushing pass them. I clawed my way towards the center, looking for that small girl and her scarlet eyes. I blinked as I froze. The sound of gasping was coming from one of the guys around the circle. On him was Niku with her hands wrapped around his neck. "Niku, what are you doing?" I yelled watching the veins on her thin pale arms bulge. Blood rushed to my head as I captured the sight.

"These jerks stole my bag!" She shouted back, tightening her grip.

"Niku, this isn't the answer!" The male's eyes were popping from their sockets, as his hands were going into tremors. They were trying to reach for Niku's, but failed.

"I'm not letting them get away with this!"

"Niku! Please!"

"Get off of him you damn 'ugly child'!" One of the guys shouted, almost hesitantly. It seemed he didn't want to trigger anything. But he did.

"Shut up!" There was an echo when I yelled that. Both Niku and I had said it at the same time. I looked around, searching for the culprit that was holding her bag as of now. Catching sight of the scrawny male, I immediately ran towards him, my curled fist in midair. It was connected to the boy's jaw, and my freehand snatched the bag from him. I rushed to Niku, falling to the side of her.

"Niku, I got your bag. Please, stop this!" I cried, showing her the hemp sack. Her eyes were burning bright with a fierce emotion. I kept my gaze on her as she sharply glanced to me with those raging eyes. '_Please don't look at me like that…_'

She stared into my own eyes as I did to her. Her hands were twitching around the guy's throat who still kept gasping for air. Finally, I saw the minor second of calmness that flashed in her eyes. The slight twitch of her eyebrows gave her away as the veins on her arms vanished. Her small hands retracted away from his throat, and he now turned into a coughing fit. I sighed as I watched her hands move for the bag.

But I was wrong. I felt a sudden impact on my body as I fell back; arms wrapped around my own neck. The bag was still clenched in my hand, as I could hear Niku's whimpers.

"I'm sorry, Yumi-chan. I'm sorry." She cried softly, shaking slightly. I sat up, glancing to the small girl, who caused such a killer scene, in my arms.

"It's okay Niku. It's okay." I whispered, patting her head gently. And here, I was so sure I would be the next one she would try to strangle…

There was a dragging sound on the dirt, and I lifted my gaze to notice the group carrying their companion. "This isn't over you stupid brats! We'll come back for you! Just wait!" The audible shouts of the group slowly faded as they turned the corner. Their rapid footsteps now became a dull tap against the dirt. A light chuckle came from my lips. Really, a group of tough guys threatening a couple of 11 years olds. I shook my head before slowly prying Niku off of me.

I noticed the look in her eyes. Was it possible for such sadness to be found in the color red? She simply looked down, with those sullen eyes and small frown. Only a mere day and a half and already we grew attached. I rested my hand on her hair, holding up the brown sack she would kill for its return.

"Here." I mimicked the tone she used during the time she fed me. She lifted her gaze wearily, and I grinned. It was my turn to show her hope. She blinked once before I noticed the wetness in her eyes. The edges of her thin lips curved upward as she now grinned from ear-to-ear. She took the bag into her arms and held it close. I remembered the sweet potatoes were a few of the things that were among the contents of the sack. "Why is it important to you?" I asked slowly, studying her facial expression. She only stared at the bag with an airy look.

"I told you… I didn't know how I died. But, when I came here…this bag was with me. It's my only link to my human life."

I frowned vaguely. She was lucky in a way. I tried to explore the depths of my mind for what was left. A mental picture of a flower was the only thing that kept appearing. But I wouldn't tell her how lucky she was. Not when luck had nothing to do with anything.

I only smiled when she looked up at me. The sun was above us, and thin clouds scattered amongst them. She may have been strong against an outnumbered group. But she sure wasn't strong enough against a simple brown sack.


	3. Chapter 3

Summary – 

What is it like to lose the beauty in life? Yumichika Ayasegawa knows the meaning of beauty, as we know, but he hardly knew it as a beginning soul in Rukongai. Awakening in a different world – a _dead_ world – has more magnificence than he knows when he meets a strange little girl.

Warnings –   
Some sadness, some happiness all adds up to some sappiness, and First POV.

A/N – 

School tomorrow, so I might not be able to update as fast as I did for the weekend. But I will try my hardest!

**Review Response** (_Gasps!_)

_I'llxBexUrxEnigma2010_: Thanks very much for reviewing! It brings tears of joy to me eyes. ;w; And I would call it cuddling. XD

Hope everyone enjoys Chapter 3! Review too, pwease. :3

* * *

The next couple of days were ruefully tiring. Only a few days ago, we agreed to start moving into a new direction. Well, for the most part it wasn't much of a lie. However, we couldn't help but notice that familiar abandoned hut in which we stayed in. It was quick learning to know that my guide was awful at directions. We were hoping to head towards a new district; the 79th one, Niku kept muttering. I simply followed her calmly. Nonchalantly, I suppose.

"Hey! We never saw that one house! We must be getting closer!" She would most of the time exclaim with clear hope. I smiled at that.

"Or we could be getting more lost," I shrugged, ignoring the pouts and the glares she would give. But she would surpass the taunts and still drag on. Sometimes we asked for directions from strangers. But we would always receive the same responses:

"_Buzz off, brats!_" or "_Go away!_" and the most infamous, "_Whaddya want!?_" People around here were always so loud. We could tell we were still in the 80th district.

By day, we walked and by night we walked. Niku sometimes had to carry me in order to go on. My bare feet would be too ached that they would sometimes go numb. Niku's feet were bare as well, so I had to wonder how she was able to keep going. I wondered how it was possible for her to stay so awake and energized. And how she was such a strong enough person to drag me with her.

"Hey Niku? How old are you?" I asked when there was silence among us. I didn't quite like it when Niku suddenly became quiet; else I feared that she was sleep-walking. And I had to admit, I was very curious about Niku's past and life. She tilted her head to me after a few seconds; a smile clear across her face.

"A lot older than you think," she laughed whole-heartedly – nearly mocking in a way. Though, I didn't quite understand anything by that answer. (She always had a way to do that: confuse me by every answer she gave me.) Now, I began to think more: Did the afterlife have a different aging system? "I never really remember my birthday, but I know I've been here for about 100 years. I can tell when a new year's gone by, by the fireworks."

The large number hit me with great impact. "100?" I gasped, studying the girl more closely now. She still looked a year younger than me! It soon made sense to me that the aging system was far more different here. The deceased probably aged after 10 years while a living person would age in only 1, or so I theorized. I wondered what she looked like when she first arrived here. Did she look 7? 5? Whatever the number was –

"When you age, you look pretty much the same. Well, unless you like growing for about a millimeter. Or have been here for about 50 centuries. Either way, it takes a real long time to look older." I heard her explain. There was a skip in her step as she continued to walk. "I like that about here."

I looked down at her, confused. She caught my expression when she looked up, and a strange grin appeared on her face.

"I like that, because no matter how long you're here, its going to be a while till ya be an old hag," She started, pausing for her laughter. "And besides, people can still look beautiful, here." I studied her face momentarily. Her words seemed happy, but the look in her eyes seemed contradicting. They seemed sullen, as though she was talking about everyone else. But herself…

**xxx**

"Oi! Old Woman! You know where the 79th district is?" The tone in Niku's voice was boisterous as ever. I flinched at the calling she used to refer to the elder woman. I wanted to clamp my hand over her mouth for her actions. Clearly her words were very disrespectful, but she wasn't able to comprehend. Luckily for her, the woman only registered her question.

"76th? I'm sorry dearies you're far from it." This answer received a groan from the both of us. However I blinked when I realized the error. "You're in the 79th district." On the otherhand, Niku didn't get the error and glared at the elder.

"That's what I-" She started but I immediately pulled both my arms under her own, and pulled her back. I grinned as the old woman simply blinked amidst the wrinkles that covered her eyes. Her head shifted a slight angle as she stared at us in confusion.

"Thank you, bye!" I hurriedly stated before dragging the tempered girl away. After the incident with the group of guys she gradually became more of a troubled person. Or maybe she was like that before I met her; I would never know.

"Old hag… How can you mistake 76 from 79?!" She kept grumbling, still struggling in my arms as I continued to drag her away. She wasn't fighting against me, but rather fighting against her own feet, her own judgment, and everything else. I shook my head at her complaining. Truthfully, I thought it was pretty easy to mistake the two numbers. Simply flip the last digits, and their pronunciation (in Japanese) is sort of the same.

"Like you said, she's old. She probably has bad hearing." I stated gently, hoping my words would soothe her somewhat. She only glanced up at me, her lips tightly formed together in a line, while her eyebrows slanted down. Once I blew away my long bangs from my face and looked down at her once more, I only laughed at the expression. The sudden stillness of her body confirmed to me that she stopped struggling. I let go of the girl, helping her balance on her two feet. "Better?" I asked, smiling down into her scarlet eyes. She only kept her lips pursed together.

"Old hag…" She finally muttered, in defeat – it seemed like it – as she began to walk. This made me chuckle. She was also, so very stubborn.

**xxx**

The walk droned on in silence. I wasn't quite sure why we kept on walking. After all, we arrived to the 79th district, like her goal was. I was able to catch the look in her eyes; a determined fiery red. Her thin lips were still tightly locked in a thin line, with her arms clamped across her chest.

Brushing away the long bangs that tickled my nose, I stared at her own hair. The ends were of different height. "Did you try to cut your hair?" I asked, as I gently scooped her thick hair into my hands. She didn't seem alarmed, or move away, but I could sense the fluster around her.

"So what? It's annoying…" She grumbled.

"What did you try to cut it with?"

"…" Because of the silence, I figured it wasn't by a regular pair of scissors. I looked closer to the ends of her hair and noticed the zig-zag shapes at the tips. It was probably something blunt, or dull. "…A rock."

I blinked at her answer, trying to compute what emotion I should react with. But a chuckle could not escape my lips.

"Shut up!" She shouted after one millisecond. And because so, I couldn't help but laugh louder. I tried to imagine how she tried to cut her hair with a rock. The thought only made me laugh more. I felt her tug on my elbow hard, as she quickened her pace. My freehand clasped over my mouth trying to calm myself.

"I'm sorry. It's just… A rock? Could you not find anything sharper?" I struggled to keep my words even. I looked down at her, and her cheeks were the same color as her eyes.

"I could've stolen a blade, but we both know how that'd end." She muttered, letting go of my elbow she was momentarily glued to. I shook my head, now reducing my laugh to a mere smile. She really seemed to hate her hair if she went to great lengths of using a _rock_.

The sun was setting, and we were able to see stars appear in the sky already. We had stumbled upon a field in the 79th district. It wasn't quite green, but it still had some grass. There was a huge tree that was 'shedding', and we took refuge in the leaves under it. If we bunked in the leaves, we would be able to hear any sign of movement.

As we didn't want to sleep just yet, we leaned our backs against the hard bark of the tree. I was staring at the purple color in the sky, while Niku was seemingly staring at something else. With my peripheral vision, and curiosity, I glanced at her. She was looking at something on the opposite direction of me, and I ventured my gaze, trying to find what she was staring at.

"Stay still." I heard her murmur, before looking at her curiously. She was staring right into my eyes, and I felt the back of my neck grow warm. I averted my eyes slightly, looking at any place besides her own; her cheeks, nose, tousled hair – "You have really pretty eyes, Yumi-chan." She commented, a bright grin playing on her face. The moon could've been replaced with her grin, and there'd be no difference in illumination. The back of my neck grew hotter, as I now looked away. I drew my attention back to the fading amethyst color of the skies. I needed to rest my mind away from the feeling of her eyes still on me.

There was a rustle in the leaves.

My head lifted immediately, as I looked around for the source. Turning to my right, my eyes widened as I saw Niku's body blocking my vision. She was on her knees, trying to match my height I suppose. I flinched slightly when I felt her fingers play against my hair, but not out of pain. More like, instinct. She ignored my reaction, and continued to play with my bangs. I wasn't quite sure what she was doing, but I winced slightly when I felt my hair being pulled at; tangles probably.

"There." I felt her warm breath brush against my forehead. I actually felt wind against the skin of it. I felt as strands of hair danced on both sides of my face; a new change. I lifted my hand to trace what she had done, but she lightly slapped the back of my hand. I moved it slower, as though trying not to alarm an animal; she didn't want me to ruin whatever work she had done. I felt the strange parting. It wasn't exactly at the middle, but it was fairly close. I looked up at her confused. "Now, the whole world can see your beautiful eyes." She stated, returning to sitting on the ground more closer to me. I watched as her eyelids closed over her eyes, and felt her head against my shoulder. Her lips slowly moved, and a slightly audible whisper escaped them, "Keep it that way…"

I brushed back the long bangs that tickled my cheeks behind my ears. If she wanted me to keep my hair like as it was, I guess I could endure it.


End file.
